How to Write Blog Posts Effectively

Blogging is one of such career option emerging these days, which is free of any geographical barrier. Though, to be an effective blogger one need to be a good writer and for that one needs to write blog posts effectively. When people talk about writing blog post, they are what’s in it, just start writing things you know, add 1-2 picture, add 1-2 video and hit publish button. Wait!! Think again, what all you have achieved by publishing that post : Shared a well formatted information? Subscriber? Buyer? Affiliate sales? or Nothing! If it’s nothing, it’s time to rethink and work on your content development strategy.

There used to be a time when internet was mainly a form of communication where emails were replacing traditional post mails or snail mail. Today, I am sure you would agree with me that the top reason for users to go online is to check for information. There is a reason why the search engine Google is ranked number 1 in the world after all these years. Questions like “how search engines work”, “how to remove super glue from your fingers”, “how to bake a cheesecake” and “how to write how-to posts effectively” are just some of the things that many of us would like to have answers to.

People want… no, make that “demand” for information. And in this technology age, they turn to the internet for answers. So if you have the relevant knowledge or information, you would already have half of what it takes to generate traffic to your website. You see, “how to” posts are highly in demand and it will be bookmarked, linked, shared and re-tweeted countless times, provided if it had been written effectively. So what makes a “how-to” post effective?

6 Tips to Write Blog Posts Effectively:

Tip 1: Choose An Interesting Topic

Before you start, you need to know where to begin. Select a good topic, one that would interest you as well as your readers, and one that you have (or are able to find) information to write on. You don’t have to come up with a title yet at this point. Just an idea of what you want to share with your readers. Some of the questions that would help you here are whether your readers would benefit from reading your post and would they be able to accomplish what they seek.

It would be helpful if your topic is more specific and not too general. For example, “how to write business letters” vs “how to write a convincing sales letter”. There is nothing wrong with the former but the later would be more effective in attracting readers. Also, make sure topic which you are going to write should not be outdated and should be something which people can read and connect to. For example, those these write blog posts effectively posts is targeted for Bloggers, but at the same time any content writer or content developer, can read, follow and connect to this. Idea is it, create something which people or your website audience would be interested in. Though, my suggestion would be pick a Keyword/topic using Google Trends or Keyword suggestion tool. If you not sure why? Read: Importance of Keywords

Tip 2: Introduction

Picture your target readers. Who are they? You would need to slightly tweak your introduction towards your target readers’ focus. Are they online professionals looking for animation tricks or first-time mums looking for ways to help their babies sleep better? Are they new bloggers looking for a good web host?

Capture their attention by telling them the purpose of your post and what they are able to accomplish if they were to follow your instructions. Write straight to the point and address to their needs and wants. If it’s a lengthy point, give an idea at the starting what all you are going to cover and also at the end, sum it in simple words.

Tip 3: Provide The List of Steps and Its Instructions

Now it’s time to share your knowledge and skills. Regardless if it’s a topic that you are familiar with or not (eespecially if you are not), please by all means, do proper research beforehand. If you could find statistics or reference links, that would greatly boost your post’s credibility.

Then, draft out the steps in chronological order. This way, it’s more organized and you know that you have all the areas covered. Write a short description or explanation about each step, preferably with examples. Include a list of materials or ingredients prior to the steps whenever applicable, e.g. if you are planning to write about a recipe or an arts and crafts project.

An actionable and DIY articles are very effective, though how many times you landed on such posts which sounds like step to step guide but you find nothing apart from 5-6 line of instruction with no screenshot or video. Try to write posts, which people can read and follow your instructions clearly. Images, helps a lot and talking about new era of Blogging, one video /post is going to be very helpful.

Tip 4: Additional Advices or Pictures

This is what sets your post apart from other “how-to” articles of similar topic. People are constantly seeking for that extra benefit or information. So take the time to include alternative materials or ways. Offer your advices, share your experiences and clarify common mistakes and you would see that your readers appreciate the trouble you took. Try to upload pictures for visual reference, whenever possible. Also, if you have already read image optimization for SEO, you would be knowing how to make most out of these images.

Tip 5: Give It A Title

In this world where people are always short of time, we tend to turn to the internet for tips and methods to help us make things easier, faster and better. Hence, these are some of the words that you should focus upon when deciding on your title. By the way, do remember to include SEO keywords in your title, for obvious reasons. For example, “how to make money from the internet”, “how to find the best web hosting company” and “how to lose weight the easy way”.

Tip 6: Check and Review

Always check and review your work before posting. Review your post for grammar mistakes, typo error, accuracy of facts etc. It would be quite embarrassing to have your readers point out your mistakes ever so often, right?

Usually, people ignore the part of proof-reading and trust me, this is where your article is going to get final touch. Proof-reading removes the possibility of any error and also, you can re-structure your sentences to make it better.

Now, once you are done with the article development, it’s time to give it more SEO friendly structure. I believe, you have already done with the Keyword research as suggested above. Now, refer to this post: Onpage Optimization for SEO and understand how you should give a perfect SEO structure to your blog post.

There you are, 6 simple steps to writing an effective “how-to” post. One last word of advice, do keep in mind to cover as many questions as you can possibly imagine your readers asking. That is, after all, the essence of a “how-to” post. Happy blogging!